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Pilot Says He Saw Missile Zoom Past

SHINNECOCK NEW YORK — Weeks after the TWA Flight 800 explosion and many miles away, an American Airlines pilot claimed he saw a missile pass by his jetliner, federal investigators said Saturday.

The report fits a scenario that is one theory under consideration in the TWA case--that a missile destroyed the jumbo jet July 17.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot on an Aug. 29 American Airlines flight from Puerto Rico to Boston said he saw a missile pass his Boeing 757 as it flew over Wallops Island, Va. NASA has a rocket-research program on the island, which is 220 miles south of the TWA crash site.

"We're going to look into it," said NTSB spokesman Peter Goelz. "So far, we have not been able to confirm anything."